Prince William's Latest Health Revelation Is Turning Heads
If there is one thing we've learned about COVID-19, it's that the virus doesn't discriminate. And while we were shocked to find out that Britain's Prince Charles had tested positive for the coronavirus back in April, what we didn't know then was that his son Prince William had tested positive, too (via BBC).
The Sun, which first broke the story, said Prince William likely got sick around the same time his father and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson were diagnosed with the virus. The report also quoted an unnamed source that said, "William was hit pretty hard by the virus — it really knocked him for six. At one stage he was struggling to breathe, so obviously everyone around him was pretty panicked. After seeing medics and testing positive — which was obviously quite a shock given how fit and healthy he is — William was determined it should be business as usual though."
BBC reports the royal family didn't want to scare the public
The BBC says the public might not have been told about Prince William's diagnosis because they didn't want to scare the public, given the national mood at the time. The BBC's royal correspondent Jonny Dymond speculated that something else was at play, saying, "But the palace also tries to preserve some privacy for the Royal Family."
Even though he was recovering from COVID-19, it appeared that Prince William didn't want anyone to think anything was amiss. Prince William refused to draw attention to himself because as he put it, "There were important things going on and I didn't want to worry anyone," and he followed through by carrying out 14 engagements via telephone and video calls during the month that he was ill. The Sun said Prince William kept his schedule until April 9, and then took a seven day break before resuming his work on April 16. One of his most high profile appearances involved him appearing on his doorstep with wife Kate Middleton and his children as they clapped to show their appreciation for Britain's health care workers — a moment was likely much more heartfelt than many of us realized at the time.